


A Royal Affair

by Thedoa



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Hannibal Lecter Loves Will Graham, Hannigram - Freeform, M/M, Maybe angst, Royalty, Will Graham Loves Hannibal Lecter, based on a royal affair, dr lecter, probably angst actually, will and hannibal fall in love, will graham is a king
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:50:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27646417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thedoa/pseuds/Thedoa
Summary: An 18 year-old Will Graham is a reluctant and lonely king. The beautiful, 30 something Hannibal Lecter is the new court doctor. There is an instant spark between the two, but Will must struggle between his feelings for this man and his duties as king.Based loosely off of the movie A Royal Affair.
Relationships: Will Graham & Hannibal Lecter, Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 7
Kudos: 65





	1. Chapter 1

The young king sat at the window, gazing out at the yellowing trees, his crown lay heavy and lopsided on top of his dark curls. It was very early, his dreams having woken him up again to an empty and dark castle. He had walked quietly to the library on the 3rd floor, nearly the opposite side of the building from his chambers, dodging servants setting up fires, and laying out rugs for the cold fall day that was to come. He always came to the library when he was awoken at night because it was the one place he felt at peace, and where he could sit unbothered, tucked away in a corner behind a bookshelf, overlooking the forest on this side of the castle. He didn’t want to move this morning, knowing that as soon as he got up from this spot, he would have to be king again. He would have to go to council, and sign papers, and stand tall and look regal all day until he could go to bed again. So instead he closed his eyes and imagined himself down at the stream fishing, and lounging in the sun, and running through the forest like other 18 year olds do. But, because his father had died one month earlier, he didn’t get to be other 18 year olds. He got to be king.

He took his crown off and spun it in his fingers, not remembering putting it on this morning. He’d gotten in the habit of wearing it everywhere to get used to the weight of it so he wouldn’t drop it and embarrass himself when it came time to wear it at formal functions. From the reflection off of the gold he saw movement outside. He shifted his attention to the window and spied a carriage making its way up the winding road. Will’s brow furrowed, he wasn’t aware he was to have company today. Reluctantly, he got up and made his way out into the chilly main hall.  
“John, do we have a guest today?” Will asked John, his valet, who was speed walking his way towards the stairs leading down to the main entrance. John paused briefly, looking rather flustered,  
“Yes, your majesty, it's the new court doctor. He’s arrived earlier than I thought.”  
“Court doctor? What happened to the other one?” Will asked, confused.  
“He left almost a fortnight ago, moved to England.”  
“Right. Well, do I need to introduce myself to this new doctor or can I carry on with my day?” Will crossed his arms, suddenly realizing how silly he must look, a boy still in his nightshirt with a huge golden crown on top of his head.   
“There is no need to meet him now, you may do so at dinner tonight, your majesty.” John bowed and turned to walk down the stairs.

After his morning court duties Will went for a stroll in the garden, intending to make his way towards the lake and perhaps go for a swim. He had shed his court attire in favor of a simple pair of pants and white billowy shirt, paired with a pair of riding boots. He had left the crown behind this time, not wanting to leave it in the dirt while he swam. Will was in his own world in his mind, as he often was, as he strolled through the muddy gardens, so distracted he ran into the man who was strolling the path by the birdpond.  
“Apologies, sir” Will said automatically before looking up from his boots to see the man he had clumsily run in to. He didn’t recognize this man but boy, was he beautiful, perhaps the most beautiful man Will had ever seen. He was taller than will by at least six inches, with silver hair that reflected the cold fall sun, and a very unique and defined face. He was almost indescribable to Will, the only word coming to mind that did this man any justice was ‘beautiful’ and even then it didn’t capture the refined, but somehow, deep down, rugged, nature of the man.  
“It’s quite alright,” the man offered a reassuring smile, “we all get rather lost in our thoughts sometimes, as it appeared you were.” Will laughed awkwardly, appearing rather flustered he was sure,  
“Yes, well, I will be on my way then.” Will turned to walk away, then thought better of it, “actually, may I enquire as to your name?”  
“Dr. Hannibal Lecter, the new court physician. And you are?” Hannibal extended a hand to Will who regarded it with bewilderment. He doesn’t know who I am, Will thought, completely amazed by his anonymity with Dr. Lecter.  
“Uh- I’m Will… I’m, uh, part of the court around here.” Will took Hannibal’s hand.   
“Well, good to meet you Sir Will. I’m afraid I must depart to prepare for tonight’s banquet, will I continue to make your acquaintance there?” Hannibal was still holding Wills hand, neither had bothered to shake the other’s hand.  
“Uh, yes, of course.” Hannibal smiled and withdrew his hand,  
“Until tonight then Sir Will.” He gave a small bow and departed in the direction of the castle. 

Will spent the entire rest of the day until the banquet dreaming of that man. When he closed his eyes to take a dive in the lake he saw Dr. Lecter’s eyes staring back at him. When he sat on the rocks, drying in the sun, he saw Dr. Lecter’s silver hair in the veins of silver running through the rocks. Will had never thought of himself as one who was attracted to men, in fact, he hadn’t ever really been attracted to anyone in this way. Sure, he had had the occasional small crush on a lady he met at a ball, or he appreciated the handsome looks of his friends from court growing up, but no one had struck him like this older man. No one left him feeling so incredibly flustered, so awkward, so much like the teenager he was rather than the king he was supposed to be. For this reason, Will decided he would admire the man from afar, as speaking with him left him too susceptible to potential fuck ups. But Hannibal had another idea, he was determined to make the acquaintance of the angel he had met in the garden that day.


	2. Chapter 2

Not that Will ever could have imagined it, but Hannibal spent all day thinking of the young man he had met in the gardens, much like Will spent the day thinking of Hannibal. Hannibal put on his finest suit and smoothed his hair back. He looked impeccable, as always, but he took extra care tonight, not because he was meeting the king, but because he knew he would meet this young man again. In fact, all thought of having to impress the child king left his mind, the only thing remaining being the image of the sun on those angelic curls. To him the young man looked, perhaps, 20, young for the 34 year old man, he acknowledged, but perhaps not entirely out of the question, although the situation would have to be explored more. But for now, all Hannibal desired was to see this beauty again; even only for a moment, from across the room, in poor lighting would be enough to satiate him. Hannibal smoothed over his hair once again, double checking himself in the mirror, and then allowed a servant to lead him towards the dining room.

Will would be the last to arrive, nervously arranging the huge golden crown on top of his head, terrified of dropping it in the presence of Doctor Lecter. And even more terrified of what the man, who had regarded him with such fondness, would think once he discovered he was the king. Would he hate him? Would he attempt to use Will for his status and money? He didn’t want to think of it, but he had no choice in the matter.   
“John, do I have to go?” He asked nervously as his valet fixed the buttons of Will’s jacket.  
“You don’t have to do anything, you’re king. But you should go. Are you nervous about your crown?”  
“Something like that… what if I went not as the king? What if I went as simply a member of the court? Or at least for a bit? I want… more time.” Will removed his crown, nervously moving it through his fingers.  
“Will,” the man of nearly 70 settled his hands on Will’s shoulders and looked him in the eyes, “I’m not sure what you’re nervous about, whether it be the crown, or being king, or something else. But whatever it is, you are better to face your fears head on than to hide behind a disguise.” He gently took the crown from Will’s hands and settled it once again among his curls,   
“Now I better not see you drop this,” he offered a reassuring smile, and Will felt comforted, but still slightly uneasy. John had been caring for him since he was a child, and his words never failed to make Will feel better.   
“It’s ‘your majesty’” Will mumbled jokingly and John laughed and shoved Will towards the door.

When dinner had nearly started Hannibal noticed that Will still had not shown up. Everyone was seated, Hannibal himself on the far end of the table from the king's empty chair, and a lovely young woman named Alana Bloom by his side. She was laughing with a girl named Margot by her side, both claimed to be friends of the boy king.  
“He’s really lovely, I promise. Not like other kings,” Alana told Hannibal, turning back to him and allowing him to once again rejoin the conversation, “he throws no fits, and demands nothing. He really is quite normal, too normal to be king, poor Will.” Hannibal cocked his head to the side at this,  
“Will?” he asked Alana.  
“Oh yes, his official title would be His Royal Majesty William the one-thousandth or whatever,” she joked, bursting into laughter with Margot once again, “but we call him Will. I’m sure you will too, he hates ‘your majesty’”.   
Hannibal frowned slightly, wondering if the young man he met was, in fact, the one and the same Will. He hoped not, because he was aware the king was a boy of 18, too young to be acceptable by Hannibal's morals.  
“His Royal Majesty-” the herald began,  
“Speak of the devil” Alana leaned over and whispered to Hannibal,  
“King William the fourth” Hannibal’s suspicions were confirmed as Will entered the room. He was wearing a jacket of deep emerald and a too large crown that looked, frankly, slightly ridiculous on his head. Hannibal’s breath was taken away not only by the surprise of his garden acquaintance being king, but also by how beautiful the king looked. Hannibal was transfixed by the curls surrounded by gold, and the toned arms bound in emerald. Until he saw the crown teter upon the king’s head, and then come crashing to the floor.   
“Shit.” is all he said before scooping it back up and taking his place at the head of the table.

The rest of the banquet went by rather uneventfully, with Hannibal and Will separated by a rather long distance, and no chance to officially meet. After dessert everyone stood to move around the room and mingle, sipping after dinner drinks and listening to music. As Hannibal stood to fetch himself a drink he spied the king dipping out onto the balcony. Hannibal grabbed two drinks from a nearby tray and followed suit. 

Will was leaning over the railing, his crown in his hands, as he stared out over the gardens. He glanced back as he heard the door open, and was greeted by the sight of an impeccably dressed Hannibal Lecter. He had noticed at dinner, of course, how could he not? But he was too nervous to approach the man, completely embarrassed by the incident with the crown and the fact that the pure sight of Hannibal was the cause.   
“Drink, your majesty?” Hannibal offered, his silver hair shining in the moonlight and his face softened by a smile.  
“Sure.” Will took the drink, his hand brushing Hannibal’s for a split second, but enough to make chills run up his spine. Hannibal joined him at the railing, gazing at the stars rather than the garden, however.  
“Do you think the cosmos was created for us, your majesty? That God wanted us to have this beauty? Or that we were created for the cosmos? To balance out their everlastingness with our mortality?”  
“Perhaps humans are the ugly to balance out the beautiful.” Will responded, taking a large swig of his drink, and glancing over at Hannibal. He seemed to consider this for a moment before meeting Will’s gaze,  
“I don’t think mankind is ugly. I think it’s messy, and just as beautiful as the cosmos.”  
“Mm. Perhaps you’re right.” Will agreed, turning his attention back to the sky.  
“How’s your crown?” Hannibal asked, his voice dripping with jest. Will blushed profusely,  
“It’s seen worse. It’s quite sturdy, you know.”  
“I’m sure it is.” Will stole a glance at Hannibal again and saw him watching him with intent.  
“You didn’t tell me you were the king when we met earlier today.”  
“Yes. Maybe, for just a second, I enjoyed the anonymity our conversation gave me.” Will admitted. Hannibal’s presence was oddly comforting, making Will feel more at ease than he had been in awhile.  
“I’m sure escaping from the identity of the King felt rather liberating.” Hannibal responded, still holding Will’s gaze.  
“It did.” Will responded, refusing to break eye contact until Hannibal did. They held eye contact for only a moment more, but what felt like ages for the two, before Hannibal turned his gaze back to the stars. They stood in comfortable silence for awhile until Hannibal suddenly turned to him and said,  
“Your majesty, will you permit me to join you for luncheon tomorrow? If I am to be an effective doctor for you I ought to learn more of your history.”  
“I don’t usually take traditional luncheon but you may join me for my afternoon meal. And please, it’s Will.”   
“Right, well, I shall retire then. Goodnight Will.”   
“Goodnight, Dr. Lecter.”

Hannibal knew it was a bad idea to spend more time with Will, he was practically a child, at the age of 18, but he couldn't stop himself from asking to see him again. Something in him pulled him towards the young king, something he was unable to resist. He had nearly given in and grabbed the boy's hand when their fingers brushed over the glass, and he had nearly given in a thousand times after that and kissed Will's plump lips as he stared at the stars. It seemed this boy would prove very difficult for Hannibal to resist, he hoped, though, for both of their reputations, that he would be able to resist in the future, and he would try very hard to do so.


	3. Chapter 3

Will awoke in the early hours of the morning covered in sweat. He had had another one of his nightmares where he struggled under the weight of his crown. It grew heavier and heavier, eventually pinning him to the ground. But today something was different. Usually he was alone, lapsing into a learned helplessness after these past months of this recurring dream, and unable to break free, but today, someone was there, someone lifted the crown off his head and guided him to safety. He couldn’t see the man at first, his eyes blurred from the tears, but, as his vision came into focus he realized who it was.  


“Hannibal” he breathed as he awoke. He sprung out of bed, pulling on his trousers and shirt before he could let the reality of his dream settle upon him. Before he realized how, usually, he awoke from this dream in fear, but today, he awoke feeling desire. Desire for his new doctor. But he would not think of this, no he wouldn’t. He pulled on his riding boots and set off for the stables.

It was still dark outside, the sun barely beginning to peak over the mountains, as he mounted his horse and set off for the lake. The chilly fall day was perhaps too cold for a swim, but Will was determined to wash off the night’s dreams. His horse knew the way, this being the only route Will ever took the horse on. He wasn’t much one for riding, but he did much prefer the comforts of riding back to the castle after a vigorous swim rather than walking the lengthy distance. 

The lake had always been Will’s escape, whether he went for a morning swim, or fishing in the afternoon, it was the place where he truly felt like the teenager he was, rather than a king. When he arrived he tied his horse to a nearby tree, stripped off his clothes, and stood, naked, admiring the still serenity of the lake. It was almost like glass, the water clear enough he could almost peer down to the bottom, but just blue enough to remind him of the ocean where he would spend his summers as a child with his mother. Oh how he wished nothing more than to spend just one more summer by the ocean. Smiling at those memories, he broke the glass, diving down below the still surface.

At this time Hannibal was also awake, he was always an early riser and often found himself with nothing to do at such an early hour. This morning, he decided he would go for a ride and explore the castle grounds before the castle awoke. He preferred the quiet of nature before humankind awoke to disturb it. He too, mounted a horse and headed in the direction of the woods. He rode slow at first, taking a winding path and enjoying the stillness of nature, and then he rode a little faster, wanting to feel the breeze on his face, and then faster, feeling the exhilaration of going fast and the power of controlling such a large beast. In the distance, he spied a great blue hole, and slowed his horse. He recognized it as a lake but, as he had taken the scenic route and was coming in from a different direction than Will had, he did not see the horse already claiming the lake to have been taken. He dismounted a little ways off from the lake and tied his horse up before continuing down a narrow path on foot. He emerged from the woods onto a beautiful lake, and a beautiful boy swimming nakedly in the water. 

He started, but did not know what to say as the young king had not yet noticed him, his eyes closed as he floated on his back. He contemplated disappearing into the woods and never discussing this with Will, but he could not pull his eyes away from the smooth white skin of the king’s neck. He was so transfixed by this skin that was shining in the morning sun, the pink colors splashed across the sky being reflected in the skin on his neck, his eyes didn’t even beg to be allowed to look lower, and he hardly noticed when the king opened his eyes.

“Doctor Lecter!” Will started, dropping his legs down into the water so he was upright and covering himself with his hands. This finally pulled Hannibal out of his hypnosis,

“Your majesty!” he said, pulling his eyes away and to the ground as a sign of respect, “forgive me. I did not know you were here.” Will blushed and looked unsure of what to say so Hannibal simply turned his back, allowing the boy to get out and redress. After a minute Will said,

“Do you always watch people swim with such intensity or only when they’re naked?” Hannibal turned around to see the boy stretched out on a rock, wearing only his trousers.

“Forgive me,” Hannibal said, “do you swim here often?” He asked, cautiously remaining where he stood, nearly 10 feet away from Will.

“Answer mine first.” Will cooly responded, feeling a sense of smugness along with embarrassment at finding Hannibal staring at his naked body. 

“Truth be told, I was transfixed by the way the water reflected the pink morning light on your throat, it was beautiful” Hannibal slowly approached the boy, feeling the need for alarm was no longer necessary. Will considered this as the older man settled himself on the rock next to him, he found he had no response to this statement, and decided instead to simply answer Hannibal’s question

“I come here often. Swimming brings me peace.”

“Hm. I’ve always found swimming a rather sordid affair, the water is almost always certainly cold, and you can never seem to shake the feeling of dampness afterwards.” Hannibal responded, gazing out at the lake.

“It reminds me of my mother.” Will responded simply, sitting up so he too could gaze out at the lake.

“How so?” Hannibal asked.

“We used to take trips down to the ocean every summer. This lake is the closest I’ve gotten to the ocean since she died. You know, she’s faded so in my mind, the way people do when you haven’t seen them in some time, that all I can picture now when I think of her is the violent waves that would crash against the rocks with a booming sound, and then the softer waves which would lap against the shore gently, somehow in tandem.”

“Are you meant to be the gentle waves and her the violent ones? Or the other way around?” Hannibal asked.

“Neither, I think. I think she was both. Loud and strong willed at times, and gentle and warm at others.”

“You miss your mother.” it wasn’t a question, but a statement.

“Yes.” Will responded. They sat and pondered this in silence. Will unsure why he was willing to be so open with this man he had only met a day prior. Perhaps it was his eyes that seemed so empathetic, or maybe his leading questions, or perhaps it was because Will thought that if he bared his soul to this man maybe he would love Will, and not in the irrational way Will loved him now, but in a deeper way. His love for this man had to be irrational, he supposed, he knew nothing of him and yet all he wanted was those lips on his own. 

“Perhaps we should go. You may join me for breakfast, if you like.” Will broke the silence, reaching for his shirt.

“Sure, but- Will” he grabbed Will’s wrist to stop him from getting up, fully intending to tell him he was sorry about his mother and for seeing him naked, but when Will’s eyes met his he stopped in his tracks. In that one moment, Will’s eyes betrayed who he was behind his attempted nonchalant exterior, he showed innocence, gentleness, and a deep longing. Hannibal became lost in his eyes, his desire to just kiss Will’s soft pink lips growing exponentially with every second. He leaned forward, and saw Will do so slightly, his self-control slipping every second. And then a twig snapped off in the distance and he was snapped out of it. He pulled himself away, clearing his throat,

“Uh, Will, I’m sorry… about earlier, I mean.” Will looked confused, and maybe slightly flustered,

“It’s alright.” he almost whispered. He collected the rest of his things and they rode back in silence. Hannibal took his breakfast in his chambers, away from the king, and resolved to avoid him. Just that slight lean in proved to Hannibal that Will felt the same way as he did, and he could not have it. In this moment he was more worried about Will’s reputation than his own, the young man had been through so much and, as much as he desired him, he could not ruin the one thing the boy had left. He would only see Will in a professional context from now on.


End file.
